Hot fuel gas generator

Abstract

A hot fuel gas generator for an internal combustion engine of the piston type vaporizes liquid fuel such as gasoline and delivers the same to the engine through a control valve which is responsive in operation to accelerator linkage controlling the internal combustion engine's operation. The hot fuel gas generator uses exhaust gases as a heat source and communicates with an adaptor block mounted on the inlet manifold of the internal combustion engine. A conventional carburetor may be carried on the adaptor block along with a conventional air cleaner as known in the art. The hot fuel gas generator separately makes superheated steam from a controlled amount of water and mixes the steam with the gasified fuel in a mixing chamber which is enclosed in a hollow body member through which hot exhaust gases from the equipped internal combustion engine are directed prior to their delivery to an exhaust system.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: 
     
       1. An improvement in a fuel supplying system for an internal combustion engine having inlet and exhaust manifolds with inlet and outlet ports, a fuel conducting device in communication with said inlet manifold, controlled air supplying means in communication with said device, a measuring valve in communication with said fuel conducting device; the improvement comprising a hot fuel gas generator upstream of said measuring valve in said fuel supplying system, said hot fuel gas generator comprising a first hollow body of a known size, a second smaller hollow body with said first hollow body positioned in spaced relation thereto, inlet and outlet ports in said first hollow body, means connecting said inlet port in said first hollow body with said exhaust manifold outlet port, at least two tubes positioned in said first hollow body and having portions of said tubes extending exteriorly of said first hollow body and other portions of said tubes extending into said second hollow body, said portions of said tubes in said second hollow body having openings therein, fins on said portions of said tubes in said first hollow body, baffles in said first hollow body positioned to guide hot exhaust gases from the inlet port in said first hollow body around said second hollow body and against said fins on said tubes in said first hollow body so that said tubes form heat exchangers vaporizing fluids therein, fuel supplying means in communication with at least one of said tubes, a delivery tube in said first hollow body communicating with said second hollow body and extending exteriorly of said first hollow body and communicating with said measuring valve in communication with said fuel conducting device. 
     
     
       2. The improvement in a fuel supplying system set forth in claim 1 and wherein said fuel conducting device comprises a hollow adapter plate having an outlet opening in registry with said inlet port in said inlet manifold, and wherein said measuring valve is positioned on said adapter plate and in communication with a first inlet opening in said adapter plate and wherein said controlled air supplying means is in communication with a second inlet opening in said adapter plate. 
     
     
       3. The improvement in a fuel supplying system for an internal combustion engine set forth in claim 1 including a source of liquid fuel and means establishing communication between said source of liquid fuel and one of said tubes, a liquid fuel control valve positioned in said means of communication between said source of liquid fuel and said one of said tubes, temperature sensor means in said engine for emitting signals representative of temperatures therein, said liquid fuel control valve coupled to said temperature sensor means and responsive to said signals for controlling liquid fuel supplied to said hot fuel gas generator. 
     
     
       4. The improvement in a fuel supplying system for an internal combustion engine set forth in claim 1 and wherein said first and second hollow bodies are elongated tubular members having closed ends and wherein said first hollow body defines a chamber substantially double the size of said second hollow body, said baffles in said first hollow body extending longitudinally thereof between the same and the second hollow body and transversely of said first hollow body and between the same and said second hollow body with said transversely extending baffles being positioned between said inlet and outlet ports in said first hollow body so as to form a tortuous passageway for said hot exhaust gases around said second hollow body. 
     
     
       5. The improvement in a fuel supplying system for an internal combustion engine set forth in claim 1 and wherein said openings in said portions of said tubes in said second hollow body are sized to form mixing jets for said vaporized fluids directed thereby into said second hollow body. 
     
     
       6. The improvement in a fuel supplying system for an internal combustion engine set forth in claim 1 including a source of water and means establishing communication between said source of water and one of said tubes, a water control valve positioned in said means of communication between said water source and said one of said tubes, said inlet manifold coupled to said water control valve and responsive to inlet manifold pressure for controlling water supplied to said hot fuel gas generator. 
     
     
       7. The improvement in a fuel supplying system for an internal combustion engine set forth in claim 6 including signal comparator/controller means and wherein a tubular member communicates with said inlet manifold and said signal comparator/controller means and wherein said signal comparator/controller means coupled to said tube communicating with said inlet manfold is responsive to variations in inlet manifold pressure for controlling water supplied to said hot fuel gas generator.